


Pictures from Home

by bewaretheboojum



Series: Curryverse [6]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Superboy (Comics), Young Justice (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Dragons, Duck the dragon - Freeform, Fluff, Jason is a pirate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:06:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23654326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bewaretheboojum/pseuds/bewaretheboojum
Summary: Fantasy AU - Short interlude in the Curryverse from Jason's POV.Jason gets some letters from home.
Relationships: Tim Drake/Kon-El | Conner Kent
Series: Curryverse [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1530779
Comments: 16
Kudos: 94





	Pictures from Home

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to txbookeater for the help betaing this!

The brilliant green sails of Jason's galleon billowed out from the rush of the wind that sped his ship along the vast expanse of ocean. The sails above him snapped and the ropes whipped in the gusts of wind. The morning air felt good, lending the perfect bite of chill to the atmosphere as Jason stood on the deck of his ship. He took a long, grateful sip of his warm coffee as he watched the late dawn sunlight spread across the dark blue waters, squinting against the glare.

Nothing in the world, Jason had found, was quite as peaceful as a morning at sea.

This far out, there were no birds or insects, just the sounds of the wind and the ocean waves. Even his men seemed quieter this morning. Most of the crew was still asleep, but the voices of those who were awake were lost in the blustering wind as they tended to the sails.

Closing his eyes, Jason took in a deep breath of the salty air. The sun felt warm against his cheeks despite the chill of the wind that swept them across the ocean.

The sun always felt brighter, warmer, on the ocean.

When he was younger, Jason rarely tanned, but since his first year at sea his skin had darkened to a light brown and dusky freckles were spattered across his nose and cheeks.

Slipping his chilled hand into one pocket, Jason checked to make sure the letters he tucked inside when he dressed that morning were still there and safe. They had taken on post the day before when they made port but, due to the chaos and labor that came with docking and trading, Jason hadn’t had a chance to read through them yet. Slipping to a sheltered corner of the deck that offered protection against the whipping wind, Jason pulled the letters out of his pocket.

Living on a ship did not afford a man much privacy. As captain, Jason did have his own room, but he seldom had the time to appreciate that fact. He was occupied from sunup to long after sun down, running his crew and making plans. He savored those few moments he had to himself in the early morning hours, before the bustle of the ship became a clamor.

Untying the string binding the letters together, Jason sifted through the envelopes, eyeing the names scrawled across them in the morning light. There were a couple of notes from potential 'trading partners' and a few customers asking for more goods. Jason tucked them away, focusing on the letters he was most interested in.

Letters from home.

There were four in total and Jason smiled as he fingered the thick stack of papers.

Jason had left for a life on the sea when he was only sixteen. Feeling restricted by Bruce's rules and the oppressive glut of humans that swirled around the city, Jason had headed off. He hadn’t known what to expect from a life at sea and was surprised to find how much joy the freedom and simplicity of it brought to him.

While Jason had missed his siblings and the subtle chaos they all brought to his life, he found he thrived at sea. The ability to go anywhere he wanted to was thrilling. The promise, the potential, the mystery was all so compelling. He loved seeing new places, meeting new people and learning as much as he could about different cultures and civilizations.

He had learned to read books in several languages, and found out about religions and traditions that he could never have imagined. He saw creatures, almost godlike, in their size and abilities. He met magic users so unlike the ones back home.

Jason loved every moment he spent on the waves or on foreign shores.

It had only taken him about four years before he saved up enough to purchase his own ship and started running his own crew. And while he knew it was the best decision he could have ever made, he did still miss his siblings back at home.

He returned when it was convenient, or when he got too homesick to stay away, but he always found his mind drifting to his next voyage after a few days at home.

The letters he had received were from Alfred, Harper, Tim and Dick. Smiling at their handwriting, Jason took another sip of his coffee before tugging open the letter from Alfred.

Jason smiled down at the note and Alfred's neat and even penmanship. The paper was of good stock and the texture felt familiar and solid against the pads of Jason's fingers.

_Dear Young Master Jason,_

_I hope the sea is treating you well. I know the storms during this time of year can be treacherous -- and while I have great respect for your seamanship -- I do pray you will take care on your current voyage._

_I'm writing to thank you for the lovely tea set you sent to me. The china is beautiful and the pattern is compelling. The gift is very thoughtful and I use it each morning as I take my tea and breakfast._

_I hope, upon your next return to our harbor, you will come and share a cup of tea with me. It has been far too long since we had the opportunity to catch up. I always enjoy your tales about your trading adventures on the subcontinent._

_Your siblings and Master Bruce are doing quite well. They all miss you terribly, as do I._

_Yours,_

_Alfred Pennyworth_

Jason swallowed hard and took a deep breath. He could picture Alfred, sitting at his tidy desk in his rooms in the Manor, writing in his neat and even script with Jason's tea set at his elbow.

Suddenly feeling a little homesick, Jason shook his head and reached for Harper's letter. Hers was much simpler and printed on a thinner paper stock that made the ink bleed and smudge slightly.

_Jason,_

_Elderberries were excellent. They made good jam._

_Sent some along, but your cabin boy probably ate it._

_I would have._

_Come home soon._

_We need more jam._

_-Harper_

Laughing to himself, he tucked her letter back into his pocket before reaching for the one from Dick.

Dick's handwriting was full of long looping letters that stretched across the page. The lines were uneven and wavering, blotches of ink spattering the page in places. One corner of the paper had been torn off and there was a smudge of what looked like something purple and sticky on the top of the page.

_Jay,_

_You need to come home._

_Tim is mad at me and I'm not sure why. Damian adopted another horse and it tried to bite me. Bruce is sulking again. Harper said I ate too much of her jam and Steph and Cass keep looking at me and laughing without explaining why._

_Duke is fine, but Duke is always fine and it’s making me start to wonder about him..._

_I cannot deal with these hellions on my own. I need back up._

_Miss you,_

_Dick_

Grinning, Jason shook his head. Poor Dick. For being as smart as he was, he really was obtuse about their family.

Jason knew Tim wasn't mad at Dick. Tim was just preoccupied with Kon. Tim didn’t trust easily and Jason knew he was fighting his instincts every step of the way with Kon. Jason was surprised that the two of them had made as much headway as they had given Tim’s general hang-ups about relationships and magic.

If Jason didn't know better, he would have guessed that the guy was a Homo Kryptoni…

As for Steph and Cass, he suspected that they were just messing with Dick.

Harper was probably actually mad about Dick eating so much jam. But she was usually mad at someone so it might as well be Dick.

Duke was never actually up to something, which is why everyone always assumed that he was.

And Damian and Bruce... It would be easier for Jason to stop the sun from rising than it would be to get Bruce not to sulk and Damian not to adopt dangerous creatures.

Jason had left the letter from Tim for last. The packet from him was the thickest. Pulling it open, he found one short sentence. Tim's hand writing was as neat as Alfred's, but cramped and small. He never wrote much, but then, Tim's letters were never really about words.

_Jason,_

_These are for you._

_-Tim_

Tucking the note into his pocket, Jason found four of Tim's sketches behind it.

Tim always sent Jason a few of his sketches. Tim often did case studies, drawings of their siblings or a landscape outside the city. Tim drew pictures of Duck most often, much to Jason's amusement.

Tim had started sending the sketches to Jason after Damian had accidentally burned his eyebrows off one year around the Winter Solstice. He had insisted on stopping some of the townsfolk from setting off fireworks and upsetting his horses. When Damian had intervened... well, his eyebrows had been a casualty in the endeavor.

Tim had known they would grow back by the time Jason returned, so he had drawn several pictures of eyebrowless Damian for Jason. Tim had included a few more sketches of the family in the packet. Jason had told him afterwards how nice it had been to get a glimpse of home, so Tim had started sending him pictures he had drawn with the letters he wrote.

The first sketch in this packet was of Duck, of course. The small dragon's tail was dangling into a deep pool as he attempted to fish. Duck's face was full of concentration and his body hummed with suppressed energy. The trees and spring around him were neatly drawn in Tim's studious, analytical style.

The next picture was of Dick and Damian in the small fenced-in circle in the stable yards at the Manor. Damian was fiercely focused as he desperately held onto the reins of a horse who was rearing wildly. Dick was standing by his side, arm outstretched, his face a mask of worry as he reached towards Damian. Their expressions were so vivid, so life-like and real, so very familiar. Jason felt himself shiver.

The third picture was one of Alfred, his face peaceful and serene, as he poured tea out of a small china pot and into a cup nestled into a delicate saucer. The old familiar lines of Alfred's face were a comforting reminder of home. He suspected Tim had deliberately chosen to draw this scene so Jason could see the new tea set in action.

The last sketch was clearly of the Bluebird Inn. All of his siblings were gathered around their table at the back of the main room, by the kitchens. A basket of what looked like Alfred's popovers sat in the center of the table along with a few pots of jam. Harper was standing over all of them, giving Dick a look that would have seemed reproving if Jason hadn't been able to detect a certain fondness in her expression. Dick was looking back up at her innocently, a pot of jam in his hands. Duke was eyeing everyone warily and Steph had just thrown a popover at Cass. The popover was in midair between them and Cass had her hand up to catch it. Damian was intently watching Duck, who was sitting curled around Kon’s shoulders. Kon was smiling, rubbing one finger along the bridge of Duck's nose. Duck looked happy, ignoring Damian for all he was worth.

Kon seemed relaxed, as if he fit easily into the chaotic scene Tim had sketched. Blending into their family with more alacrity than Jason would have thought possible.

Everyone looked... exactly like they always did. Quarreling, but happy.

Smiling, Jason looked at the picture for a few long moments, taking in every detail. The spilled jam on the table, the checkered napkins cradling the popovers, sweet potatoes laid out for Duck, Tim's pencils rolling into the center of the table, the bandages on Damian's fingers from being bitten by something or other...

It made Jason homesick.

Just a little.

"Captain," Jason turned to find his first mate standing tall next to him. She had almost a foot on him and her long red hair flowed out behind her in the wind. "My calculations have us arriving on the subcontinent in less than two hours."

The sense of homesickness melted away under a wave of excitement. He folded the pictures neatly and tucked them into his pocket as he turned to face Artemis.

"Call the men. And let's prep for landfall," Jason said, letting a rakish smile spread across his face. As Artemis grinned fiercely back at him, he turned his focus to shouting orders to his crew. Jason felt the thrill of adventure run through him as he turned to face the horizon, taking in the next port on his journey with keen, excited eyes.

**Author's Note:**

> I love that Jason is just a low-key pirate and, like, no one really cares. Bruce PRETENDS to care, but he doesn't, really.
> 
> Hope you're all hanging in there!


End file.
